Soufflet

What Soufflet does

Soufflet is a French agricultural and food production platform operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of InVivo Group, the French agricultural cooperative that acquired it in 2021. The company runs three core divisions: Soufflet Malt, the world's largest malt producer, which transforms barley into malt ingredients for global beer breweries and distilleries; Soufflet Agriculture, focused on barley sourcing and farmer support programs; and Soufflet Vigne, serving the wine industry. The underlying technology is the industrial malting process — controlled steeping, germination, and kilning of barley to produce specification-consistent malt for brewing and distilling applications. The business operates as a B2B commodity ingredient supplier, generating revenue primarily through long-term direct supply contracts with major brewing groups such as United Breweries Limited (Heineken-controlled) and Carlsberg, with pricing handled on a contract basis not publicly disclosed.

Soufflet's go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting the largest beverage manufacturers globally, with no direct-to-consumer or retail channels. The company is currently executing a significant geographic pivot: expanding into high-growth markets — notably India via a €100 million malthouse investment in Rajasthan with United Breweries (Phase 1: 110,000 tonnes annual capacity, early 2028 commissioning, with potential to double) — while simultaneously restructuring its European footprint by closing plants in Germany and the UK in response to structurally declining European beer consumption. Soufflet sits within InVivo's Agroalimentaire vertical alongside Episens and Vinadeis, and benefits from the parent cooperative's €11.4 billion revenue base, ~15,000 employees, and presence across 38 countries. The strategic intent is clear: redirect capital from stagnant mature markets into emerging-market beer growth, particularly in India where UBL/Heineken holds roughly half the beer market and demand growth runs at ~10% annually.

Name

Soufflet

Legal name

Groupe Soufflet

Website

https://soufflet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Soufflet is a French agricultural and food production company and the world's largest malt producer, supplying major beer breweries and distilleries globally as a wholly-owned subsidiary of InVivo Group since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Malt Production

NAICS

Malt Manufacturing (311213), Flour Milling and Malt Manufacturing (31121)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Malting Barley Production (Brewing/Distilling Supply) (AFAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Barley Farming (AFAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Malt production
• Barley processing
• Brewing ingredients
• Agricultural commodities
• Distillery supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Nogent-sur-seine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Malt Production and Sales: Soufflet Malt operates as the world's largest malt producer, supplying malt to major breweries globally. Revenue is generated through production and sale of malt products to beer and whisky manufacturers through long-term supply partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Soufflet produces malt through industrial malting of barley, supplying breweries and distilleries globally. Its core malt business (Soufflet Malt) is the world's largest, complemented by agricultural sourcing operations (Soufflet Agriculture) and vineyard activities (Soufflet Vigne). Customers include major beer and spirits manufacturers such as United Breweries (Heineken), Heineken, and Carlsberg Group, served through long-term supply partnerships.

Product overview

Soufflet operates as a multi-divisional agricultural and food production company under InVivo group (acquired in 2021), comprising three core product lines: Soufflet Malt (the world's largest malt producer serving beer and food industries), Soufflet Agriculture (barley sourcing and farming support), and Soufflet Vigne (vineyard operations). The company is undergoing strategic transformation, expanding into high-growth markets like India while restructuring European operations due to declining beer consumption in Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soufflet Malt Industrial malt production for the beer brewing and distilling industries. As the world's largest malt producer, Soufflet Malt supplies malt ingredients to major global breweries (Heineken, United Breweries, Carlsberg Group) and distilleries, with operations across Europe, India, and expanding into South Africa and other emerging markets.
• Soufflet Agriculture

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,000 tonnes annual malt capacity in Phase 1, potentially doubling to 220,000 tonnes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• United Breweries Limited (UBL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026UBL and Soufflet Malt partnered to build a malthouse in Rajasthan's Kiit Industrial Area with 110,000 tonnes annual production capacity, scheduled for early 2028. The facility will supply malt for UBL's Kingfisher and Heineken brands. UBL is majority-controlled by Heineken and commands nearly half of India's beer market.
• United Malt GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalteries Soufflet (a division of Soufflet Group) is acquiring United Malt Group, a significant strategic consolidation in the global malting industry.
• Government of Madhya PradeshminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoufflet participated in Indo-French Investment Dialogue hosted by Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, signing Expressions of Interest for investment in food and agribusiness sector.
• Government of RajasthancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoufflet Malt India is working with Rajasthan government and RIICO for land acquisition to establish its €100 million malt production facility. The French Ambassador intervened diplomatically regarding delays and higher land prices proposed by RIICO.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Great Western Malting: Great Western Malting is a US-based malt producer serving craft and mainstream brewers across North America. Comparable as a B2B maltster but smaller and regionally focused versus Soufflet's global scale.
• Rahr Malting: Rahr Malting is one of the largest North American maltsters, supplying craft and macro brewers primarily in the US and Canada. It is comparable in business model (B2B malt for brewers) but primarily serves the Americas, giving it a regional rather than global footprint versus Soufflet.
• Simpsons Malt: Simpsons Malt is a UK-based fifth-generation maltster supplying brewing and distilling customers, including Scotch whisky producers. It is comparable in business model and barley sourcing approach but geographically concentrated in the UK—a market where Soufflet is actively retreating.
• Muntons: Muntons is a UK malt and malt extract manufacturer serving brewers, distillers, and food manufacturers. Comparable in malt production and value-added malt extracts, but with a regional UK and European focus rather than global reach.

Emerging players

• Briess Malt & Ingredients: Briess is a North American maltster specializing in specialty malts and malt extracts for brewing and food applications. It overlaps with Soufflet's downstream malt-extract and specialty malt offerings but at smaller scale and primarily US-focused.

Direct peers

• Malteurop: Malteurop is generally recognized as the world's second-largest malt producer and Soufflet Malt's closest direct competitor. Both are global B2B maltsters supplying major brewers; Soufflet's acquisition of United Malt Group was specifically framed as strengthening its lead over Malteurop.
• Boortmalt (AXEREAL): Boortmalt, the malting arm of French cooperative AXEREAL, is one of the world's largest malt producers with a similar cooperative governance structure to Soufflet's InVivo parent. Both serve global brewers from European bases and compete head-to-head in B2B malt supply.
• Viking Malt: Viking Malt is a European malt producer serving breweries and distilleries across Northern Europe, the Americas and Asia. It is a comparable B2B malt specialist competing with Soufflet for brewer offtake, particularly in specialty malt segments.

Others

• InVivo Agrosolutions (Soufflet Agriculture): InVivo's agriculture vertical, including Soufflet Agriculture, is the upstream barley sourcing and farmer training arm closely tied to Soufflet Malt. It is included as an ecosystem/adjacent participant that enables Soufflet Malt's integrated supply chain rather than as a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill (Cargill Malt): Cargill operates a global malt and grain origination/processing business as part of its broad agricultural commodity platform. While it competes in B2B malt supply, malt is one of many product lines within a much larger diversified agricultural conglomerate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groupesoufflet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/GroupeInVivoOfficiel
• Facebookfacebook.com/GroupeInvivo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-invivo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soufflet